Two die as gunman attacks his own class

Two students were dead and a third was left fighting for his life late yesterday after a disgruntled commerce student opened fire with two handguns in a Monash University tutorial.

The gunman, believed to be a fourth year honours student, walked into the sixth-floor econometrics tutorial about 11.20am, carrying two small hand pistols. He opened fire, killing two Asian students in their 20s instantly.

A 30-year-old man was airlifted to the Alfred Hospital suffering abdominal injuries and was last night in a critical condition in the Alfred Hospital.

Four other students, all suffering gunshot wounds, were taken to hospital. A woman was shot in the jaw and others suffered multiple wounds, including one man in his 20s who underwent surgery at St Vincent's Hospital to reattach a finger shot off in the attack.

Thanh Huynh, sister of Lee Huynh, one of the victim, said the attack was indiscriminate. ");document.write("

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"He was in a tutorial room ... I think there was meant to be a presentation by the gunman today," she told Channel Nine. "I said 'What happened?' and he said the guy, the gunman, just went berserk and started shooting everyone and he was unfortunately one of the ones that got shot in the legs."

Witnesses said the gunman, was wrestled to the floor and disarmed by a lecturer and at least one other student.

"The people on the floor at the time were just unbelievable. They definitely saved lives. One of the men in the class managed to disarm the gunman, secure the weapons, and treat two of the patients," said Paul Howells, the first paramedic to arrive at the scene. "Credit should also be given to the attending ambulance officers, who did a superb job. The death toll could have been much worse."

The gunman was arrested at the scene and showed no resistance to police. Last night he was being questioned by homicide squad detectives with the help of an interpreter.

Victoria Police Superintendent Trevor Parks confirmed the gunman was a student in the class, but would not confirm his name. He said the tutor and a student were believed to have wrestled the gunman to the floor, immobilising him while others called the police. He said there were fewer than 10 key witnesses.

"If the gunman hadn't been subdued at the time it would have been a major disaster."

He described the alleged gunman as an Asian male in his mid-30s. He said the wounded suffered gunshots to legs, arms, backs and shoulders, with up to four of the victims being shot more than once.

Fellow students said the gunman came to Australia about four years ago from China to study commerce. He had few friends and struggled with English.

"He would often become frustrated in tutorials because no one could understand him," a university classmate said.

Students at Monash said scenes in the 11-storey building were chaotic immediately after the shooting, with students jostling on to crowded escalators to escape. At one stage, some thought the gunman was loose in the student union, opposite the Menzies building.

"We were very concerned about the lack of effective communication," said student newspaper editor Jesse Macneal-Brown. "It was some time before everybody knew what was going on."